Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is a public university, funded by the central government of India originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875. The Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.[2] The main campus of AMU is located in the city of Aligarh. Spread over 467.6 hectares in the city of Aligarh, AMU offers more than 300 courses in the traditional and modern branches of education. According to Times Higher Education, Asia Ranking 2014, AMU ranks 3rd among Universities in India.[3] The university comprises all castes, creeds, religions and genders.

Contents

It was established as Madrasatul Uloom Musalmanan-e-Hind in 1875–78,[4] The Anglo–Indian statesman Syed Ahmad Khan founded the predecessor of AMU, Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College ("MAO"), in 1877 having already established two schools.[5] He considered competence in English and "Western sciences" necessary skills for maintaining Muslims' political influence, especially in Northern India. Khan's image for the college was based on his visit to Oxford and Cambridge and he wanted to establish an education system similar to the British model.[5] HH Sir Mohammad Ali Mohammad and the Aga Khan III also played a major role in realising the idea of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan by collecting funds for building the Aligarh Muslim University[6]

In the beginning the college was affiliated with the University of Calcutta but became an affiliate of Allahabad University in 1885. Around 1900 efforts began to make the college its own university. Its range of courses was expanded and a girls school was added in 1907 before it became the Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.[5] The university was designed to train Muslims for government service in India and prepare them for advanced training in British universities.

In 1927, a school for the blind was established and, the following year, a medical school was attached to the university. By the end of the 1930s, the university had developed an Engineering faculty. Syed Zafarul Hasan, joined the Aligarh Muslim University in early 1900s as head of Philosophy Department, dean Faculty of Arts. He was a pro-vice chancellor before his retirement.

Before 1939, faculty members and students supported an all-India nationalist movement. After 1939, political sentiment shifted toward support for a Muslim separatist movement. Students and faculty mobilised behind Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the university became an center of Pakistan Movement.[7][8]

In late 2014 the university's vice-chancellor Zameerud-din Shah turned down a demand by female students to be allowed to use the Maulana Azad Library, which was male-only. Shah stated that the issue was not one of discipline, but of space as if girls were allowed in the library there would be "four times more boys," putting a strain on the library's capacity.[9][10][11] Although there was a separate library for the university's Women's College, it was not as well-stocked as the Maulana Azad Library.[9]National human resource and development ministerSmriti Irani decried Shah's defense as "an insult to daughters."[10]

Responding to a petition filed by a Human Rights Law Network intern, the Allahabad High Court ruled in November 2014 that the university's ban on female students from using the main library was unconstitutional, and that accommodations must be made to facilitate student use regardless of gender.[11][12] The High Court gave the university until November 24, 2014 to comply.[12]